Android. Is it better with root access, or is it just fine without it? Can anyone be truly happy on Verizon, or does freedom demand sacrifice? We asked you. Here are your best arguments for—and against!—rooting your phone.

Rooting is Rewarding...

Whether you need them or not, rooting your phone gives you a bunch of options you can't get otherwise. Reader umataro42 puts it pretty succinctly:

Even if you don't flash a custom ROM, the root-required apps alone make it worthwhile - Greenify, StickMount, Titanium Backup, Lightflow, WiFi Protect, and especially now with Xposed Installer and all the mods it offers. In fact, I just flashed a custom ROM on my Nexus 5 that is just stock 4.4.4 with root, and used Xposed to install Gravity Box for all the other extras I usually look for in a custom ROM.

The only limit on what you can do with your rooted phone is what developers have actually made. Fortunately, if an app can be written, it probably has.

...But It's Not Easy

Some devices like the Nexus line have relatively simple methods for gaining full access to your phone, but if you're not familiar with some of the terminology or how things work, things can go badly real quick. A lesson Bryan Price found out the hard way:

After three failed times of trying to root my phone, I've given up. The third time bricked it, but Kies was able to get it back to factory shape. All three were supposed to be the latest/easiest/greatest thing to root my phone (a Note). Yeah, it would be nice to get a better backup. But as it is, it works as is for me.

It's not impossible to learn how to root your phone safely, but it takes time and effort. Being tech-savvy (and especially having a background in using Linux or terminal commands) is helpful, but if it's a new area to you, expect to spend some time learning what to do. And possibly screwing up.

Rooting Provides a Ton of Customizations…

Customization is typically the name of Android's game. While you can change a lot without root (like your launcher, keyboard, lock screen, and more), you can change even more with it. As benbb points out:

Xposed frameworks gives you the freedom to add all kind of mods to tweak your phone to exactly how you like it. Don't care for a little quirk that you phone has? Root it and get rid of it.

With root access, you have the option. Even minor things are fair game with things like Xposed. For example, hate the infuriating AT&T logo in the status bar taking up precious screen real estate why, AT&T, why do this? You can remove it. Minor annoyances become less of a problem with root.

...But Very Few Are Totally Necessary

Rooting may provide a ton of customizations, but if the only reason you want it is to tweak some very minor thing, the ratio of effort to reward may not be worth it.

I played around with rooting on my old E4GT and got so pissed off with something always being broken that when I finally did find a build that worked, I stayed with it, even though much newer stuff had come out. It wasn't the friendliest phone to deal with either, but the whole process of updating/wiping/reinstalling just got to be too much that when I got the Moto X on VZW, I didn't mess with a thing (that's not mentioning that I find very little that needs to be tweaked).

Rather than asking whether or not you should root, ask yourself what you want to root for. If the things you want to get from a rooted device are worth the time investment, then go for it. If not, maybe rooting isn't for you.

Rooting is Relatively Risk Free…

To say there are literally no risks to rooting is simply a false statement, but there's very little you can do to your phone that you can't undo. As jkrmnj points out:

I see no reason not to root. You can easily undo it and security isn't a big problem as long as you aren't downloading from some shady developer.

Most things you can do with a root phone can be reverted, particularly if you perform regular backups. Most devices can even be "unrooted" by returning to the stock software. It's risky to try, but even if you screw up, you have to do something pretty bad to do something you can't undo.

...Except When it Isn't

The key word in the above section is "most." Most of the time, you won't lose data. Most of the time you won't break something. Most of the time you won't scream at your device because something horrible happened and it's going to take all day to fix it. Most of the time. SD Gator found themselves in that minority of other occasions:

I used to root all my phones, but then updates on my Nexus 4 started breaking root and the whole backup/wipe/root/restore thing just got to be too much work. Especially after some game files got munged and all my progress was lost a couple times.

And, of course, all of this assumes that you're not rooting so you can flash other ROMs. If you decide to venture into ROM-flashing territory, it's a veritable minefield, as deathtöngue points out:

Go to the XDA forums and take a gander at the horror stories about the new ROMs that are not 100% working with the features of your shiny new phone. Or causes it to crash. Or makes it more vulnerable to security risks.

Rooting your phone (and especially flashing custom ROMs) is an affair that demands a high level of personal responsibility. If you're up for it, go ahead. But there are exactly zero guarantees that nothing will go wrong. You're probably fine, but if you screw up, you're on your own.

Then There's the Warranty Problem

Rooting your phone and especially installing custom ROMs will probably void your warranty. In some cases, you can revert your phone back to normal and no one will be the wiser. Other times, the companies you have to deal with for warranty replacements will have a way of knowing. The community might be able to tell you what the risks are, but at the end of the day, you can't always know for 100% certain that you'll still get support after rooting your phone. If you're okay with that, have at it! If not, though, you may want to reconsider.

There is No Right Answer

In a way, the question of whether or not you should root is a pretty loaded one. To one person, "rooting" means simply adding a tethering app or an app that improves battery life. To another, "rooting" means flashing an entirely OS variant, installing a dozen customization tweaks, and generally changing as much as you can. To yet another person, "rooting" means potentially breaking your phone. Who's right? Well, Josh is probably more right than anyone else.

Q: Which is better?

A: The one that works best for YOU.

In the end, no one has an obviously better solution. There are only solutions that work for your needs.